The Gun Demon is the embodiment of humanity's fear of guns, a fear that has grown as guns have become more common. Initially, guns were seen as a convenient means of combating the threat of demons.
However, as gun use has increased, gun-related crimes have also increased, leading to increased fear surrounding guns.
This fear peaked after a large-scale terrorist attack in the US involving guns, causing widespread panic.
It was on this day, 13 years before the events of the manga took place, that the Gun Demon appeared.
When I first started reading Chainsaw Man, I imagined the Gun Demon as the ultimate villain—a formidable foe that Denji would have to overcome by the end of the series. However, it turned out that it was all a red herring.
Index
Spoiler alert! If you haven't been following the manga, you might want to start back now!
As Makima revealed in Chainsaw Man chapter 73, the Gun Demon was defeated before the current events of the manga.
The Devil's Relics were divided among various nations: the United States owned 20%, the Soviet Union 28%, China 11%, and other nations held a total of 4%.
The remaining 37% of the Gun Demon's body is in the hands of other demons, who have either consumed or merged with part of it.
This begs the question…
Who defeated Gun Devil in the past?
Unfortunately, the manga doesn't give a clear answer. We're not even given an exact timeline of when the Gun Demon was defeated.
According to Makima, it was the Soviets who came across the demon in a defeated and unconscious state. We do not know how long ago the demon was defeated.
However, based on other hints Makima gives, we can make an educated guess.
That's Chainsaw Man:
The most plausible theory is that Chainsaw Devil (or Chainsaw Man if you may) at his full power, defeated Gun Devil the first time.
In Chainsaw Man chapter 87, Makima tells Chainsaw Man that he once fought against the weapon demon and the four horsemen in the past.
The Chainsaw Demon was seemingly overpowered by them and he disappeared at the climax of the battle.
Although Makima and the others searched for Chainsaw Man, they could not find him, because he was living in a near-death state.
Makima neither explicitly confirms nor denies the Gun Demon's presence in this battle, but there are subtle clues in the manga that suggest its involvement.
The first clue is quite simple—the Gun Demon is still a Weapon Demon after all.
Now, the second detail is more visual.
The second clue is more visual. In the very first chapter, when Pochita (the weakened form of the Chainsaw Demon) first appears, he is bleeding from what appears to be a gunshot wound.
This wound is most likely a result of the battle Makima mentioned, suggesting that the Gun Demon was indeed present in this conflict.
I never expected things to turn out like this.
With the incredible speed of the Gun Demon and the Saw Demon, their battle could extend to many countries, including the United States, China, and others.
The Chainsaw Demon may have defeated the Gun Demon somewhere in the Soviet Union, killing it but not before suffering a traumatic gunshot wound.
While the war with the other weapon demons continued, eventually reaching Japan, the Soviets may have discovered the defeated Gun Demon and protected its remains.
This would explain why different nations ended up with parts of the Gun Demon's body. The Chainsaw Man may have chopped it off in battle, leaving behind many pieces.
However, it is important to note that this is just speculation based on my understanding of the Chainsaw Man manga. Actual events may differ.
Gun Devil's second appearance and fight with Makima:
Now let's learn about Gun Devil's appearance in the manga. This is the second appearance of the devil in the Chainsaw Man universe.
The Gun Demon appeared this time on September 12, 1997, after making a contract with the president of the United States to kill Makima, the demon that controlled him.
However, this time it wasn't the entire Gun Devil—only the 20% under US control appeared. Even though it was just a fragment, this part of the Gun Devil had enough sentience to form a contract and launch an attack.
Five seconds after appearing off the coast of Akita Prefecture, Japan, the Gun Demon fired a bullet into Makima's head, killing her. This was her 29th recorded death.
However, the devil, she came back to life, all thanks to her contract with the Prime Minister of Japan.
But the important question that needs to be answered is this, did Makima get rid of the Gun Demon for good this time?
Can Makima kill the Gun Demon this time?
No, Makima didn't kill the Devil Gun outright; she just defeated it and left it in a vulnerable state.
Using contracts with Yutaro Kurose, Michiko Tendo, Akane Sawatari's Snake Demon, and Aki's Future Demon, she summons the Devil of Punishment.
After activating his ability, Makima attacks the Gun Demon, severely weakening it but failing to kill it.
Instead, she reduces it to a state where she has no choice but to possess a dead person in order to survive, resulting in Aki becoming the Gun Fiend.
If you're unsure whether Aki is a demon or a hybrid, chapter 76 clarifies this by listing Aki Hayakawa's name among the casualties caused by the Gun Demon.
Also, when Makima used the Future Devil's power, it was through the pre-death contract Aki made with it. The autopsy…meaning it was done before he died!
Basically, the short answer is that Makima did not kill the Gun Demon, or any part of it that appeared in Japan. She defeated it and allowed it to take over Aki Hayakawa's body.
Aki, now the Gun Fiend, was eventually killed by Denji. The mental damage was there. However, this did not mark the end of the Gun Devils. As mentioned earlier, only 20% of the Gun Devils participated in this conflict.
So what exactly is the status of the rest?
Well, coming to Chainsaw Man part 2, we now have some conclusions about the Soviet Gun Demon.
Turned into a weapon by Yoru:
Chainsaw Man season 2 has a lot going on. However, one of the best parts is Gun Devil making a return appearance in the manga.
Unlike its previous appearance, the Gun Devil was not summoned through a contract with a human. Instead, it was summoned and transformed by Yoru, the Demon of War, into one of her powerful weapons.
Interestingly, Fujimoto only shows the parts of Gun Devil located on Soviet territory, Mount Elbrus to be exact, to be turned into weapons.
Gun Demon Summoned from the Soviet Union
The one in China seems to be unharmed.
The same goes for the Gun Demon parts that were consumed by other demons. For all we know, it's still out there.
Is the gun demon dead and gone?
In the world of Chainsaw Man, demon death is rarely permanent.
Demons constantly cycle between life and death, both in Hell and on Earth. Even if a Gun Demon is “dead,” it will eventually return to Earth if killed in Hell.
However, now that Yoru has turned the Gun Demon into a weapon, several questions arise; and two possible outcomes come to mind.
First, the Gun Devil would probably disappear forever, not in the sense of dying and being reborn in Hell, but rather that it would be permanently turned into a weapon.
This could explain the extreme guilt Yoru felt when summoning both the Gun Demon and the Tank Demon in chapter 176.
Turning something into a weapon is different from simply killing it; the entity continues to exist but in a non-sentient form, purely a weapon of destruction in Yoru's arms.
The second possibility is that Gun Devil still has a chance to return. We know that parts of it still exist in other countries and demons, and these parts have the ability to regain sentience.
For example, the Power continues to exist in some form inside Denji by making him drink her blood, even after being killed by Makima.
And by consuming a piece of Pochita, the Devil's Blood can be fully revived.
Similarly, if a strong enough contract is made, is it possible for the Gun Demon to be resurrected in sentient form, even if Yoru's weapon is destroyed?
In short, Gun Devil, as we know it, may not completely disappear. It may still appear again, representing the concept of “Chekov’s gun” in Fujimoto’s story.
What do you think about the Gun Demon and its fate in Chainsaw Man? Do you think it's dead? Will it reappear in the future? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
